May 11, 2008
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - One day after notching the program's first victory in the 64-team NCAA Championship format, the 39th-ranked Nittany Lion men's tennis team (16-12, 6-4 Big Ten) suffered a 4-0 setback at the hands of host No. 1 Virginia (30-0, 11-0 ACC) in the NCAA Round of 32.
The talented Virginia squad put together three flawless matches in doubles play, which gave them a 1-0 lead. The Nittany Lions fought back in singles play, but Virginia managed to score three straight-sets victories in the first three completed singles bouts to punch their ticket into the NCAA Round of 16 in Tulsa.
Nevertheless, Penn State concludes its season with eight victories against ranked opponents. The Lions' 4-0 shutout against VCU on Saturday marked the program's first victory in the modern-day 64-team NCAA Championship format, which began in 1999. Prior to the victory over VCU on Saturday, Penn State's only NCAA Championship victory came back in 1998 against Columbia (4-1) in an NCAA Regional match.
"It was a great opportunity to play the No. 1 team in the country," said head coach Todd Doebler. "I am really proud of how hard the guys competed today."
Virginia the struck first in doubles with a victory in the No. 3 match. Junior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) and sophomore Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) dropped an 8-2 decision to the Cavalier team of Houston Barrick and Sanam Singh. After two games, the scoreboard read 1-1. From there, the Cavalier team rattled off four straight games on their way to the 8-2 victory.
The nation's top-ranked doubles team clinched the doubles point for the Cavaliers at the No. 1 spot in the order. Virginia's Somdev Devvarman and Treat Huey scored a service break in the third game of the pro-set and never looked back against senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) and junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.). The Cavalier team notched six straight impressive games on their way to taking the 8-2 victory. James and Lynch finish the season 15-5 in dual matches.
Virginia also held a 7-3 lead in the second doubles match when the point was decided. The Lion duo of senior James Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga.) freshman Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) trailed Virginia's Dominic Inglot and Michael Shabaz in the No. 2 match.
With Virginia leading 1-0, the match turned to singles play. The Cavaliers snagged a 2-0 lead with a straight-sets decision in the No. 5 match. Shabaz scored back-to-back breaks early in the first set on his way to a 6-2 victory. The second set started the same way as the first, with a quick Virginia break on Bourchier's first service game. Shabaz rolled to a 6-1 victory in the second. Bourchier finishes his first collegiate season with a 22-14 overall record, including a 12-10 mark in duals.
After rain sent the match to the Boyd Tinsley Courts at the Boar's Head Sports Club, Huey gave Virginia a commanding 3-0 lead in the match by ousting Slagter in two tight sets. Huey, who is ranked 28th in the nation, scored the only break he would need in the sixth game of the first (6-4). The two battled in the second, but once again Huey notched one pivotal break in the seventh game of the set, which allowed him to serve out the match (6-4), handing the Cavaliers the 3-0 overall match lead.
The No. 6 bout clinched the overall match for the Cavaliers. St-Maurice fell into a 3-0 hole early in the first set against Angelinos, and was unable to recover. Angelinos notched the first by a 6-3 margin, and rode that momentum right into the second set. He scored a break in the seventh game of the set to take a 4-3 lead, and then clinched the overall match with a break in the ninth game of the second, 6-3.
With the overall match decided, James went toe-to-toe against No. 1 Devvarman for the second time in three months. The two put on an excellent exhibit of collegiate tennis in a tight first set. James scored a late break and served to a 6-5 lead in the set. A Devvarman hold sent the set into a tiebreaker. Devvarman took a 5-1 lead in the breaker on his way to the set (7-6 (4)). Devvarman led 4-2 in the second when Virginia clinched the match. James concludes an impressive Penn State career with a 109-39 career record.
The remaining matches were in a third set when the Cavaliers notched their fourth point. Lynch sent the No. 3 bout into a third with a superb second (6-3) against 17th-ranked Inglot. The two were knotted a 2-2 in the third set when the match was halted.
Dwyer trailed Singh in the third by a score of 3-1 when Angelinos clinched the overall match. Dwyer scored the first 7-5, but then Singh came storming back in the second.
Final Score: #1 Virginia 4, #39 Penn State 0
Doubles:
1. #1 Somdev Devvarman/Treat Huey (UVA) def. #32 Michael James/Brendan Lynch (PSU), 8-2
2. Dominic Inglot/Michael Shabaz (UVA) led James Dwyer/Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 7-3
3. Houston Barrick/Sannam Singh (UVA) def. Adam Slagter/Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles:
1. #1 Somdev Devvarman (UVA) led #60 Michael James (PSU), 7-6 (4), 4-2, DNF
2. #28 Treat Huey (UVA) def. Adam Slagter (PSU), 6-4, 6-4
3. #17 Dominic Inglot (UVA) tied Brendan Lynch (PSU), 6-2, 3-6, 2-2, DNF
4. Sanam Singh (UVA) led James Dwyer (PSU), 5-7, 6-1, 3-1, DNF
5. Michael Shabaz (UVA) def. Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 6-2, 6-1
6. Ted Angelinos (UVA) def. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 6-3, 6-3
Order of finish: 5, 2, 6